Former Delavan man run down by car

D-DHS grad in critical condition week after Dan Ryan incident

A 25-year-old Woodridge, Ill., man, formerly of Delavan, was injured
last week Tuesday while working on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago.

Brian L. Vanderveen, a 1999 graduate of Delavan-Darien High School
who is now a surveyor for American Consulting Engineers, was conducting
surveying work for the freeway's renovation project.

According to Illinois State Police and several Chicago media outlets,
three men pulled up to the construction area and stole an expensive
piece of equipment from the scene, on a 43rd Street ramp.

Vanderveen tried to stop the three men and it appears he was deliberately
struck when the suspects sped away in their light-blue Chevrolet Corsica.

Vanderveen was taken to John H. Stroger Hospital in critical condition,
the Chicago Tribune reported.

He remained there in critical but stable condition Monday morning,
said Gary Powell, office manager at American Consulting Engineering.

"They just plain purposefully ran him down. There are witnesses to
that," Powell said.

Powell didn't understand why someone would want to steal a "Total Station,"
a $30,000 piece of surveying equipment that has no practical use for
people who aren't in construction.

"These are the things that always confuse and boggle our minds," he
said, noting that people usually have no idea what they are stealing.
"In that neighborhood, this is not the first time that we've been robbed.
Other consulting and construction firms have experienced the same problems
we have."

Authorities are still searching for the suspects and the car, which
has front-end damage and an Illinois plate starting with 9529.